Clearly, the way to whistleblow is to get hired by Panorama, secretly film patients for television, get dragged through the regulatory body while you sit around watching allegations are thrown at you and then be found guilty of misconduct. You can then tell the world that you are a whistleblower because the media defines you as one.
At that point the entire media says how dreadful it is for whistleblowers to be treated badly, having paid little attention to numerous whistleblowers in the NHS. Unlike other whistleblowers, Panorama can "support their whistleblower" by extending more media publicity to it than any other whistleblower in the UK to justify what they did was right. There is of course only one whistleblower these days, her name is Margaret Haywood.
Margaret has petitions set up for her and she has the entire media at her feet. Hundreds of whistleblowers remain without a job. All these whistleblowers do not have petitions set up for them. Only one hospital in the UK has elderly care problems of course, that is Margaret Haywood's hospital. No other hospital in the UK but that featured and cherry picked by Panorama has that.
The fact remains is this, Margaret Haywood did not have to get struck off, she could have studied the law books, effected a challenge to the High Court at the start of the NMC screening process. She didn't. The question is, is she a true whistleblower - is she tougher than the rest? Can she fight the system because that is what whistleblowers do? Well, we know she can't fight the system and we also know that despite her backup by the RCN and the entire public, she still failed to win on legal argument. That may not be her fault but it certainly is someone's fault and the person in the driving seat is her. She had a number of choices open to her, she didn't take any of them. Panorama has now found that media power does not win the case at a regulatory body hearing.
Panorama can then tell us that only they know how to raise concerns about elderly care and the rest of the whistleblowers in the UK don't. After that, Panorama's whistleblower may receive a tidy sum which is more than any other whistleblower in the UK gets. They can also enjoy massive worship by the public while real jobbing whistleblowers have to work damned hard to get themselves cleared. And how hard is it to dissect through legal documents, NHS documents and any other documents to formulate and dissect? Haywood wouldn't know what it is like to read and read piles of official documents to fight your case until your eyes are tired, until exhaustion makes you wish that you never had whistleblown. It is a denial of sunlight because while everyone else is out leading their life, you are reading intricate technical documents to fight to ensure that you win against the establishment and against the tide - because you don't want to be a victim, you want to be a survivor. Haywood hasn't learned to fight yet because she isn't a fighter.
She hasn't tasted the real art of whistleblower survival. Because whistleblower survival isn't cool, isn't media fodder and isn't trendy, it doesn't demand the " victim support" of the public. It isn't "cool" to be a surviving whistleblower who has never been struck off.
It is therefore more "media accepted" to be found guilty of misconduct than to fight to clear your name. You have to be suspended from your job or found guilty of misconduct because then you can reach the heady heights of the media. If you do though fight the tide, win, you are by default called a trouble maker but not a whistleblower. Those who do fight to clear their name aren't given the credit of taking their initiative or being any good at what they do.
Whistleblowers who are cleared aren't proper whistleblowers at all. And that is the lesson we learn from Panorama and the media. Then they are the ones who were negligent enough to allow Margaret to haul herself into the dragon's den and Margaret happily allowed them.
Now we have a further message that regulatory bodies shoots the messenger. We don't have the more pro-active message that regulatory body may try to shoot the messenger but its time to fight back against the tide and win. No whistleblower is a victim, nor should they demand the sympathy of others. They should all stand up, fight for their rights in society, their rights to exist as an equal and should ensure that regulatory bodies do not get away with abusing them. They owe it to all the whistleblowers after them.
Message received from a mobile on NHS Behind the Headlines.
At that point the entire media says how dreadful it is for whistleblowers to be treated badly, having paid little attention to numerous whistleblowers in the NHS. Unlike other whistleblowers, Panorama can "support their whistleblower" by extending more media publicity to it than any other whistleblower in the UK to justify what they did was right. There is of course only one whistleblower these days, her name is Margaret Haywood.
Margaret has petitions set up for her and she has the entire media at her feet. Hundreds of whistleblowers remain without a job. All these whistleblowers do not have petitions set up for them. Only one hospital in the UK has elderly care problems of course, that is Margaret Haywood's hospital. No other hospital in the UK but that featured and cherry picked by Panorama has that.
The fact remains is this, Margaret Haywood did not have to get struck off, she could have studied the law books, effected a challenge to the High Court at the start of the NMC screening process. She didn't. The question is, is she a true whistleblower - is she tougher than the rest? Can she fight the system because that is what whistleblowers do? Well, we know she can't fight the system and we also know that despite her backup by the RCN and the entire public, she still failed to win on legal argument. That may not be her fault but it certainly is someone's fault and the person in the driving seat is her. She had a number of choices open to her, she didn't take any of them. Panorama has now found that media power does not win the case at a regulatory body hearing.
Panorama can then tell us that only they know how to raise concerns about elderly care and the rest of the whistleblowers in the UK don't. After that, Panorama's whistleblower may receive a tidy sum which is more than any other whistleblower in the UK gets. They can also enjoy massive worship by the public while real jobbing whistleblowers have to work damned hard to get themselves cleared. And how hard is it to dissect through legal documents, NHS documents and any other documents to formulate and dissect? Haywood wouldn't know what it is like to read and read piles of official documents to fight your case until your eyes are tired, until exhaustion makes you wish that you never had whistleblown. It is a denial of sunlight because while everyone else is out leading their life, you are reading intricate technical documents to fight to ensure that you win against the establishment and against the tide - because you don't want to be a victim, you want to be a survivor. Haywood hasn't learned to fight yet because she isn't a fighter.
She hasn't tasted the real art of whistleblower survival. Because whistleblower survival isn't cool, isn't media fodder and isn't trendy, it doesn't demand the " victim support" of the public. It isn't "cool" to be a surviving whistleblower who has never been struck off.
It is therefore more "media accepted" to be found guilty of misconduct than to fight to clear your name. You have to be suspended from your job or found guilty of misconduct because then you can reach the heady heights of the media. If you do though fight the tide, win, you are by default called a trouble maker but not a whistleblower. Those who do fight to clear their name aren't given the credit of taking their initiative or being any good at what they do.
Whistleblowers who are cleared aren't proper whistleblowers at all. And that is the lesson we learn from Panorama and the media. Then they are the ones who were negligent enough to allow Margaret to haul herself into the dragon's den and Margaret happily allowed them.
Now we have a further message that regulatory bodies shoots the messenger. We don't have the more pro-active message that regulatory body may try to shoot the messenger but its time to fight back against the tide and win. No whistleblower is a victim, nor should they demand the sympathy of others. They should all stand up, fight for their rights in society, their rights to exist as an equal and should ensure that regulatory bodies do not get away with abusing them. They owe it to all the whistleblowers after them.
Message received from a mobile on NHS Behind the Headlines.
"Don't worry guys, bizarrely I'm sat across from Liz Bloor on the train and as she speaks far too loudly I heard she works for the bbc. She then started to say that the nurse in question would receive a pay off from the BBC to stop her going "to talk to others" as the bbc want to make sure that she stays commited to them. FYI it was the London to Euston train, and she was sat in first class Virgin train coach J... Good to see our license fee going to good use. Liz should really learn to keep her voice down, as I only googled her name when she said her taxi should have been booked by the bbc and her voice has an annoyingly smug arrogance about it.
1 comments:
too much!! i think that after Mid Staffs, the climate is changing. I am not sure how much publicity Margaret Haywood would have received without that disaster.
Well done again on your excellent piece on Radio 5 -
The media is way too powerful and the BBC is as far off its lead as the GMC but in a different direction. Perhaps Panorama feels it can take on the NMC whereas perhaps they could not take on the GMC.
People need to be accountable for their actions. That includes Trust CEOs, Medical Directors, Clinical Directors, the Nursing hierarchy and the GMC.
Finally I think people are seeing the links between a corrupt government and corruption in other areas of public life.
Rita, you are the trailblazer who allows other people to follow in your path. Well done!
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